The Stone Carvers: Master Craftsmen of Washington National Cathedral

Rating:
Summary: hard beauty
Review: A really handsome volume that wonderfully illuatrates this fine art. After visiting the National Cathedral (I was there for the dedication of the tympanum over the main door) and being captivated by the work of the carvers, this superb survey of monumental work brings it all to life again.

Rating:
Summary: hard beauty
Review: A really handsome volume that wonderfully illuatrates this fine art. After visiting the National Cathedral (I was there for the dedication of the tympanum over the main door) and being captivated by the work of the carvers, this superb survey of monumental work brings it all to life again.

Rating:
Summary: a wonderful culture revealed
Review: Stone Carvers, a cultural study of the men who carved the stone embelishments and sculptures of the Washington National Cathedral, offers exceptional insight into this fascinating subculture. It builds on the film, released in 1985, which won a documentary academy award for the author, Majorie Hunt of the Smithsonian anthropology staff. The characters of these unique, talented and charming men are beautifully revealed while the photographs make clear what a monument they have created. They were trained in the classic stone carving workshops of Italy, came to this country as young men and created a world of classical beauty on buildings on the Washington Mall, and in New York as well as at the Cathedral. The last of these unique men, Vincent Palumbo, carved the wonderous Creation sculpture [by Fredrick Hart] over the central door of the cathedral, the visual image of which was used without premission for the movie Devil's Advocate [Washington Episcopal Diocese sued to block release of the movie until some images were removed]. The fact that monumental stonecarving is both a dying art and a dying subculture makes this documentary book all the more valuable and poignant. I visit with Mr. Palumbo about once a week just to hear his tales of the old days when these great men walked the roofs of the sixth largest cathedral in the world and carved their impressions in immortal stone.